Keyhole-guard.



Nieren' Stains hat @erica WILLlAM SCHWARTZ, OF VAUKESHA, VHSCONSHI.

kerl-toewensen.

SIQEGXFIGATIGN forming part of Letters Patent pplioation filed February28,1901. Serial No` 49,192'.

To all wit/mit it may concern.-

Be it known that I, lV-Inman SCHWARTZ, residing in Vvankesha, in thecounty of Vankesha and State of lVisconsin, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Attachments to Keyholes, of which the following isa description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichare a part of this specication.

My invention has relation to im p rovem en ts in attachment to keyholes.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improvedconstruction which will facilitate the guiding of the key to thekeyhole.

A further object is to provide an improved construction forautomatically closing the keyhole when the key is withdrawn from thelock and rendering the lock burglar-prooi", peep-proof, and dust-proof,and which means is also of such a character as not to interferev in theleast with the unlocking when the key is inserted in the keyhole.

Vith the above primary and other incidental objects in view theinventionconsists of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinaftermore fully set forth.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a front elevation of a'fragment of a door equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is an edgeview ci the door shown in Fig. l, parts being broken away and insection. Fig. 3 is a detail View of the inner side of the attachment..Figa i is a sectional view of the attachment, and Fig. is a detail viewof a modified form of attachment adapted for flat keys.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 6 indicates a fragment of a doorprovided upon opposite sides with the usual alined keyholes 7 7, whichcommunicate with the interior passage S of the door in which the keyworks. Upon opposite outer sides of the door and over the keyhole Tthereof are arranged my improved attachments. 'lhese attachments may bemade of any desirable material and are of a box-like form, being soconstructed as to stand out a considerable'distance from thc door and insome cases attached to the door by means of screws .l, turned throughiianges l0, extending from the attachments. The front or outer face 0feach attachment is in the form of a shallow concavity, the concavesurfaces con vergingto the central keyhole 1l.

No. 676,450, dated. June 18, 1901.,

(No model.)

reason of the fact that the attachment is in the forni of an outstandingbox-like device a chamber 12, of considerable depth, is formed back ofthe concave front face.

Pivoted at its upper end tothe rear side of the front concave face ofeach attachment is a tongue 13, said tongue being of sufficient lengthto completely close the keyhole when the tongue is turned down in theposition illustrated iu The pivot of this tongue is horizontal,extending in a plane across the keyhole, so that said tongue is capableof being swung upwardly and in a direction toward the opposite keyhole.

lt will ce seen that with my attachments applied to the opposite sidesof a door, as shown in Fig. EZ, keyhole both of said keyholes areclosed, and consequently the attachments render the lock dust-proof aswell as peep-proof. The attachments furthermore render the lockburglarproof, inasmuch as if a key is inserted into the lock from oneside, as shown in Fig. 2, and a person should attempt to pick the lockfrom the opposite side by inserting nippers through the keyhole fromthat side said nippers would lift the tongue and the tongue therebyafford an effective barrier against the nippers engaging the key andturning the same. l

In the use of my invention when it is dcsired to lock or unlock a doorthe key is inserted, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and as said key is forcedinwardly it uplifts the tongue until, when the key is forced inwardly toits full extent, said tongue is raised to the Fig., 2 position. vi/Thenthekey is removed, the tongue automatically drops to its normalposition, (shown in Fig. 3,) thereby effeotually closing the keyhole.

ABy inyiniproved attaclimentsit will he seen that the tongue is hothautomatically raised in a direction toward the opposite keyhole by theinsertion of the key and is automatically lowered by the withdrawal ofthe key without the necessity of any manual manipula tion whatever ofthe tongue.

An important feature of my invention is the provision ofthe deep rearchamber 12, whereby the tongue when uplift-ed is prevented fromextending such adistance into the door as to interfere with the freeaction of thc key when a key is not in 'either ou the lock. It is ot'course essential that the tongue should be snfciently long to close thekeyhole, and if the chamber referred to were `not provided and theattachment made of .y working of the lock. By my the major portion ofthe length of the tongue is in the rear chamber 12, while only a shortportion of the length of said tongue extends into the passage of thedoor.`

Another advantage of providing an attachment having a considerableoutward projection` from the door resides in the fact that a person inthe dark may readily locate the position of the attachment by contact ofthe keytherewith, and after the attachment is thus located the key maybe readily brought to position. to be passed through the keyhole.

It is obvious that myimproved attachment may be cast in a single piece,or, if preferred, it may 'oe pressed with dies out of thin sheet metal.

Fig. 5 of the drawings illustrates a slightlymodified form of attachmentadapted for flat keys. This modified form is indicated by the numerall/l and is substantially similar to the other form, excepting that Iprefer that the projecting portion thereof shall be oi more or lesscircular form and the rear chamber, as well as the pivoted tonguetherein, of a corresponding form.

lVh'at I claim as my invention is-- l. The combination with a doorhaving a keyhole therein, of an attachment secured to the outside of thedoor over the keyhole thereo, said attachment having its outer faceprovided with a keyhole in line with the keyhole ot' the door, and aninwardly and upwardly swinging hinged tongue pivoted to the inner sideofthe attachment at the upper extremity of the keyhole thereof, on ahorizontal pivot arranged across the keyhole, said tongue adapted to heswunginward and away from said keyhole by contact with the key as thesame is inserted, the said swing being upwardly and toward the oppositekeyhole, and to drop back by-its own gravity and close said keyhole,when the key is withdrawn.

2. The combination with a door having a vkeyhole therein, of anattachment secured to the outside ot' the door over the keyhole thereof,said attachment having its outer face provided with a' keyhole in linewith the keyhole ot' the door, and said attachmentv also having a rearchamber located back of its outer face, andan inwardly and upwardlyswinging hinged tongue pivoted to theinner side ot' the attachment atthe upper extremity of the keyhole thereof, and within the rear chamber,on a horizontal pivot arranged across the keyhole, said tongue adaptedto be swung inward and away fronrsaid keyhole by contact with the key asthe same is inserted, the said swing being upwardly and toward theopposite keyhole, and to drop back by its own gravity and close saidkeyhole when the' key is withdrawn, the depth of the rear chamber andthe length of the pivoted tongue being such that the major portion ofthe length ot' said tongue is withiny the recess, when said tongue isuplifted.

In testimony whereot1 I affix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

WILLIAM SCHWARTZ.

Vitnesses:

A. L. MoRsELL,

ANNA V. FAUsT.

